AUDIO: Hello, my name is Success

ST. LOUIS, MO.
December 3, 2009 12:01am

You don’t have to ask Scott Ginsberg his name. He’s got a nametag plastered on his shirt or his jacket – on the left, above the breastbone -- and, because there’s also one tattooed on his chest, claims to be the only person on the planet who wears a nametag 24/7.

It’s not because he’s forgetful. It’s his business.

“Initially I was the ‘guy who wears a nametag every day,’ but now people know me as the guy who made a career out of wearing a nametag,” says Mr. Ginsberg, 29. “My business is divided into … different areas. I make money from speaking engagements, workshops, selling books or publishing articles, building online learning systems through NametagTV and also one-on-one coaching and consulting.”

The author of eight books and a professional speaker, he is also producer of NametagTV.com, an online video training firm that teaches companies how to “leverage approachability into profitability,” he says.

(In today’s CVBT Audio Interview via Skype, Scott Ginsberg tells how a discarded nametag was his “aha! moment” that sent his on his entrepreneurial journey. Please left-click on the link below to listen now or right-click to download the MP3 audio file for later listening.)

“Initially, it was about this very simple idea of wearing a nametag. And then it sort of morphed into what it means to be approachable,” Mr. Ginsberg says. “The word ‘approachability’ is such a huge part of the concept. I’ve found a way to address different dimensions.”

Based in St. Louis, Mo., Mr. Ginsberg says his programs to train workers to be more approachable have been used by Hyatt Regency, Verizon Wireless, Prudential, the Australian Institute of Management, and the National Potato Council.